Raccoon Creek State Park

Moderate traffic (not many cars on loop, but watch for coal trucks on 30 & 18)

One of Pennsylvania's largest and oldest state parks is within bicycling
distance, in Beaver County. The area it's in is pretty interesting in its
own right; it's about here that the forested hills of the Alleghenies start
giving way to the more open, rolling hills and flats which mark the beginning
of the transition from Northeast to Midwest. Two well-known old federal
highways, the Lincoln and the William Penn, also go through this area. Now
largely passed over in favor of the interstates (and in the case of the
Wm. Penn highway, a parallel freeway), these two-lane roads run through
small rural villages, and avoid the big hills in favor of more gentle rollers.

If I had a car, I would probably start the ride on the old Steubenville
Pike. (Take the Parkway West to the junction with Rte. 60, take the exit
to stay on route 22/30 West, and then exit 1/4 mile later, park, and get
out the bicycles. This cuts off the heaviest traffic, and about 20 miles
from the total distance posted above.)

But the best direct way to get there on a bike is probably to take rte. 60
"northbound" (actually, southwest) from the south end of the West End
Bridge. You'll head up a long, but not particularly steep, hill. Go up
a while, then hang a left onto route 50. Follow 50 into Carnegie, until
you pick up the Yellow Belt, then follow the Yellow Belt up Campbell's
Run Road, which eventually parallels the Parkway. Campbell's Run ends
on Route 60 near IKEA and the Robinson Town Center. Turn left, and bike
carefully along the right shoulder for about half a mile till you get off
on Old Steubenville Pike. On the last bit, you'll have to deal with
getting past some exit ramps, but overall this route is the most direct
route which doesn't involve large hills or bad traffic. Follow the Old
Steubenville Pike west. (This is the old route 22, and has light to moderate
traffic most of the day.) After about 4 miles, you'll reach US 30.

A more scenic (and slightly longer) route can be done by following Noblestown
out of Carnegie. (Take the same route as above, but when Campbell's
Run goes off to the right, stay straight.) Eventually you'll cross under
I-79, and not too long afterwards go through some very pretty areas in
Collier Township and at the back end of Settler's Cabin Park. Continue
to follow Noblestown through its various hairpin turns, until you reach
Oakmon. Turn right onto 978 (which is also the Orange Belt at that point)
and follow 978 north. When 978 crosses under route 22, it become US 30.

When you reach US 30 (Lincoln Highway), follow it northwest through Imperial
and into Beaver County. It's a two-lane road, not too heavily trafficked,
but since the road is narrow, be wary of trucks overtaking you on hills. (Coal
trucks tend to run along the road on weekdays, and take up the entire lane.
I don't know if they run on weekends.)

A couple of miles after entering Beaver County, you'll come up on the
"Raccoon Creek Wildflower Area" on the right. This section of Raccoon
Creek park has a number of short hiking trails, a nature center, and
(in the right season) many varieties of wildflowers, so it's worth a
stop. (You can also find a map of the park here.)

Just a little bit farther down the road is the main entrance to the park.
If you turn left here, you'll go up a road toward a dammed lake. (Roads
and trails continue west to route 18 eventually, though they wind a lot).
If you continue down route 30 instead, you'll hit a food-stand shortly after
the entrance. If you continue for a couple miles more, you'll hit the
intersection with route 18. You should really turn south here, if you
haven't turned off Route 30 yet. (If you're feeling especially gung-ho,
I suppose you could continue on to East Liverpool and make it a 3-state ride,
but doing this will add at least 30 miles to your trip, and allow less time
to enjoy the park.)

In any case, whether you continue to the 30-18 intersection or go west
through the park, you'll eventually hit the Route 18 entrance to the park.
There is a park office here, where you can pick up detailed brochures on
the park and other places. A couple hundred meters south of the park office
is a path going up to a waterfall and a semi-restored "mineral springs spa"
building almost 200 years old. It's not far off the road, and the walk
is worth it.

Continue south on route 18 into Washington County. You'll hit rolling
hills through this section, but nothing really bad. Ride until you hit
Florence, which is a 4-way intersection with a Stop-N-Go on the far right
corner. You've just hit Old Route 22, the older William Penn Highway.
(If you ride past Star Lake Amphitheatre or a modern expressway, you've
gone too far.) If you haven't restocked on food and drink, this would be
a good time to do so.

Turn left on Old 22 (now inconspicuously designated as SR 4004). This
road will run roughly parallel to the modern Route 22, sometimes in
sight of it, and sometimes not. Just go straight down the road until
you hit route 980, where the road will appear to end. Turn right, go under
the highway, and turn left where you see the sign for the onramp to East 22.
Stay to the right, and you'll avoid the on-ramp and instead go onto
another 2-lane road past a coal strip-mine, back under the highway, and
continuing all the way to the intersection with Route 30. (A library
is on the left just before you hit route 30 again; it can be a nice place to
stop and take a break if it's open.) You've completed the loop; now just
continue riding east back towards Pittsburgh.